n a s b e e g- e e



@teiten tstrs atrrft @fitte JONAS BERGER, OF KNOXIVILLE, ILLINOIS.

Lettere Patent No. 73,072, daten? January T, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN KEY-COUPLING FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

dlgs tlgrtnlt reform it lr tlgrse Enters lntmt mit uniting gaat uf tigtsume.

TO LL WIIOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JONAS BERGER,0` Knoxville, in the county of Knox,and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement inKey-Couplings in Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe construction andoperation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side viewof the upright frame of a melodeon.

Figure 2, a rear view of the same.

Like letters in both gures of the drawings indicate like parte.

My application is intended as a` completion of that in melodeonspatented by me, May I4, 1867, and embraces what may be termed the seconddivision ofthat; therefore', for alclearer exhibition of such parts asare not Well understood in this, reference may be had to such as willappear in the drawings of that.

In those instruments Where the coupling is used to make the octave by adepression of the first key only, its key is also depressed. Thisdepression, whenever it happens, interferes with an easy and gracefulexecution of the lingers upon the keys. Now my invention, therefore,consists in the construction of a key-coupling in which the octave isoperated Without depressing its key.

'Io enable any one skilled in the art to make and' use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the upright frame of a.` melodeon; B B, the swell-boxes; C C, thevalves, with springs a a pressing against their under sides. D is anupper standard, with notches l1 b to receive the ends of the valves, inwhich they play when operated on. The standard is properly secured totheframe by a. cross-piece, c, cut out Suthciently for the standard to workfreely in. E is a lower standard, attached to a key, F. On the back sideof it is a groove', in which ts the slide d, having a cleat, e, attachedto it. A short lever, connecting with the ordinary coupling at one end,will be made fast to it. The other will conneotfwith the rst key of theoctave.

The arrangement of the Acoupling will be more fully understood byreference to Letters Patent herein referred to. The upper and lowerstandards are connected bystraps, Gr, in three sections. The firstsection is properly secured to the slide through the standard, and thesecond to the first and third by being suitably hooked to them; thethird section being secured to, the upper standard, and passing througha cross-piecmf,

'attached to the frame for keeping the straps steady.

Operation.

AIn operating the octave, the rst key of the same, being pressed down,it will be seen that the coupling wiIl press down the slide in thegroove ofthe standard, which works loosely but snugly therein, and thusoperate the valves without depressing octave key. A

Ido not propose to limit myself to the particular dev-ice hereindescribed, but claim any equivalent device Vthat will .accomplish theresult.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The construction of a. key-coupling, in which the octave `is operatedwithout depressing lits key, substantially in the manner -and for thepurpose as herein specified.

2. The construction ofthe key-board with' standards E, and providing thesame with grooves and slides, d, in combination with the straps G,cross-piecesfand c, standards D, valves C C, and springs a a, allarranged substantially in the manner and for the purpose as hereinspecified.

JONAS BERGER.

Witnesses l ALBERT Pinnen, EL'I Eevnn.

